HC Deb 01 April 1958 vol 585 cc993-9
1. Mr. Lipton

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what estimate he has now made of the number of tenants to be evicted in London next October.

2 and 9. Mr. Dodds

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (1) if he will inquire into the extent to which landlords under the Rent Act, 1957, are giving notice to quit to tenants in decontrolled houses without giving the option of a new agreement involving increased rents, with a view to taking action if necessary and in time to obviate undue hardship being caused to many people in October because of the shortage of alternative accommodation;

(2) what action he is taking to obtain information in good time to obtain reliable statistics of the number of decontrolled houses where the tenants have not been given an opportunity to come to an agreement with the landlords to continue occupation after October, so that some action can be taken where necessary to introduce emergency measures to meet whatever situation arises.

The Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (Mr. Henry Brooke)

From any statistical inquiry made now it would not be possible to deduce the number of tenants unable to make satisfactory arrangements by next October.

Mr. Lipton

Is not it true that the number of evictions, estimated by the Financial Times at 6,000 tenants and their families, is much higher than the right hon. Gentleman expected, according to the report of the meeting he attended on 12th March? What is the Minister doing about it? Why is he gambling with the happiness of so many thousands of people and presenting at least the appearance, if not the reality, of being callous and inhumane about the whole thing?

Mr. Brooke

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman realises that the number of notices to quit that may be outstanding at this present moment is no indication and no measure of the number of evictions that might take place after October.

Mr. Dodds

Will not the Minister take effective action now to reduce the misery and despair that this Rent Act is causing? Does he really think that his half-baked warnings will in any way deflect the greedy and unscrupulous landlords from grinding every possible material benefit from an Act which he champions and which his colleagues on the Government benches so meekly accept?

Mr. Brooke

Without accepting anything that the hon. Gentleman has said, I think that I was right to give that advice the other day, and I believe that it has improved the position.

Mr. Hay

Can my right hon. Friend say whether there is any truth in the statement that, after October, some 30,000 people are likely to be homeless in the London area—a statement recently made by the Leader of the London County Council, Mr. Hayward?

Mr. Brooke

So far as I am aware, there is no foundation for that statement.

Mr. Mitchison

But does not the right hon. Gentleman think that, to put it at the lowest, there is a risk of a considerable number of evictions in and after October, and nowhere for these people to go? Ought he not to take some steps to provide emergency or other accommodation, just in case this happens?

Mr. Brooke

The Questions invited me to make a statistical inquiry at the present moment, and I do not think that that would serve any useful purpose.

12. Mr. Chetwynd

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will take powers to arrange for the housing of persons evicted under the Rent Act, 1957.

Mr. H. Brooke

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. George Craddock) on 18th March.

Mr. Chetwynd

Does that Answer mean that the Minister has power to act in this respect, or that he has no power? If he has no power, and he is waiting to see how the situation develops before he brings forward new legislation, will he bear in mind that the long Recess will intervene, and that the operative date will take place during the Recess, so that the sooner he brings in that legislation the better it will be?

Mr. Brooke

Local authorities have powers.

Mrs. Braddock

Is not the Minister aware that the local authority has power to provide Part III accommodation on a temporary basis only if the eviction arises from any unforeseen circumstances? In view of the fact that these are not unforeseen circumstances, what power does the right hon. Gentleman intend to give to local authorities to help them to deal with the very unpleasant situation which he himself has created?

Mr. Brooke

The hon. Lady is referring to the powers of welfare authorities, where I have been speaking of the power of housing authorities.

16. Mr. E. Fletcher

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what steps he is taking to deal with the illegal practice of charging premiums for decontrolled tenancies contrary to the provisions of the Rent Act, 1957.

Mr. H. Brooke

Local authorities have power to prosecute for this offence. Anyone who considers that he has been required to make an unlawful payment should inform his local council.

Mr. Fletcher

Surely the Minister is aware that a very large number of people are being charged wholly exorbitant sums for a few pieces of furniture and fittings and that these charges are in fact a concealed premium and therefore illegal? Is not he aware that it is very difficult for tenants to deal with this matter? Will he take steps to give adequate publicity to this matter in order to deter this practice and to ensure that local authorities do something to stop it?

Mr. Brooke

I should be very glad if this Question and Answer together give further publicity, but I have no power to prosecute. Local authorities have power to prosecute. What the 1957 Rent Act did was to apply the legislation which was enacted in 1949 by the Labour Government.

Mr. Mitchison

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that the practical difficulty is that the tenant is afraid to take action vis-à-vis decontrolled premises? Ought not the Minister to take steps to see that the local authorities, or the police, or whoever is the appropriate authority, take effective action to stop this widespread practice?

Mr. Brooke

I must make it perfectly clear that as Minister I have no power to prosecute. The local authorities and the police have power to prosecute.

17. Mrs. L. Jeger

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many letters he has received from tenants complaining about the Rent Act; and what has been the nature of his replies.

Mr. H. Brooke

I have had about 4,000 letters about the Rent Act since it received Royal Assent. For the reasons I gave to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis) on 11th February, these letters are not classified in a form which would show how many have been complaints. An appropriate reply is sent in every case.

Mrs. Jeger

Is the Minister aware that a large number of desperate people have been made very angry by the letter which they have received from his Department, one sentence of which reads: Moving is always inconvenient and troublesome yet people can and do manage to move when they want to. Is this the best advice which the Minister can give to those people who write to him about their anxieties?

Mr. Brooke

I am sure that that is not the whole of the letter, but that sentence by itself seems to me absolutely true.

22. Mr. Lipton

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will grant to local authorities the power to requisition houses occupied by tenants who will he evicted next October under the Rent Act, 1957.

27. Mr. Sparks

asked the Minister for Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what additional powers he proposes to give to local authorities to enable them to assist families of decontrolled dwellings who are under notice to quit their premises in October next.

31. Mrs. L. Jeger

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will restore requisitioning powers to local authorities.

Mr. H. Brooke

Local authorities already have powers to arrange for the housing of persons in need, and I do not think additional powers will be necessary.

Mr. Lipton

Is the Minister aware that these powers do not and will not enable either the London County Council or the Metropolitan borough councils, either in their capacity as welfare authorities or in their capacity as housing authorities, to deal with the very substantial number of people who are likely to be evicted next October? Is it not, therefore, criminal for him not only to do nothing himself but to make it impossible for local authorities to do anything?

Mr. Brooke

That is a hypothetical question. Local authorities have power to acquire houses by agreement—[HON. MEMBERS: "Where?"]—and with the Minister's consent they can acquire houses compulsorily. I think that it is far better to get rid of requisitioning than to extend it.

Mr. Sparks

Is the Minister aware that many local authorities in whose areas this problem exists have the power to provide housing accommodation in urgent cases but find it physically impossible to do so in view of the weight of the housing list? In view of the evictions likely under the Rent Act, will the right hon. Gentleman consider giving them extraordinary powers in order to deal with the emergency later in the year?

Mr. Brooke

I will not respond to any of these requests that local authorities should be allowed to requisition houses.

Mrs. Jeger

Has the Minister's attention been called to a statement by the Leader of the London County Council that in London, which presents a specially difficult problem, it will be absolutely impossible for the L.C.C. to deal with the results of the Rent Act in October, 1958? Surely he cannot brush aside a responsible statement of that kind. Why will not he, at least in London, give consideration to the possibility of requisitioning, because there is no other way of dealing with the problem?

Mr. Brooke

The hon. Lady speaks of a responsible statement. I said in response to an earlier supplementary question that I know of no foundation for the figure of 30,000 given by the Leader of the London County Council.

Mr. Lindgren

As the Minister has effectively stopped new building for general need and now refuses to grant powers of requisition, will he not, at least, give local authorities power compulsorily to purchase buildings?

Mr. Brooke

I said in reply to an earlier Question that any proposal for a compulsory purchase order would he considered on its merits.

23. Mr. Gibson

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware that the London County Council and the Metropolitan boroughs are making arrangements for dealing with people evicted from houses decontrolled under the Rent Act in October next; and what steps he is taking to assist them in meeting the cost of these plans.

Mr. H. Brooke

I have seen reports in the newspapers, but no proposals have so far been submitted to me by these authorities.

Mr. Gibson

Is the Minister aware that he is about the only person in London who thinks that there is no need for special powers to be given to deal with this matter, and that, while it is true that there are powers for the compulsory purchase of houses, the fact is that they will take much too long and that October will be well over before they can be operated? Does he realise that the boroughs and the county council are very concerned, already having considerable lists of people who have been given notice of eviction, such as the three or four I hold in my hand now from constituents of mine who have been refused anything but an eviction order? In the circumstances, does the Minister appreciate that the Government must give some special powers for quick acquisition of properties in which to put people, and financial help to assist authorities with the burden which will be created?

Mr. Brooke

The hon. Gentleman is expressing his own opinion. His original Question referred to the cost of plans which have not yet been submitted to me.

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